Many methods have been utilized to illuminate the grilles of motor vehicles for vehicle identification, personalization, and styling. One method has been to use light units that follow the profile of the grille but are directly below the chrome strip. Another method has been to light the grille using light-through chrome features produced using sputter-chromed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
The light-through chrome technology, however, is limited. To produce a lighted element in the front vehicle area, the options are restricted. Sputter-chroming is not ideal for lighting an entire grille because, when the light units are active, the part becomes semi-transparent, causing the light units and associated hardware to become visible. Therefore, there is a need for a grille lighting solution that maintains the grille as translucent when the light units are active, while maintaining a chrome finish when the light units are not active.